Bank of America and Vital Voices Promote Economic Growth in India Through Global Ambassadors Program

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"Women can be powerful drivers of economic development, improving lives for individuals, families and communities"

Today, Bank of America and Vital Voices convened a mentoring forum in
India, which will bring participants to both New Delhi and Mumbai to
explore the critical function that women can play in moving the nation
forward economically, politically and socially. The effort is part of
the Global Ambassadors Program, a Vital Voices and Bank of America
partnership, which mobilizes accomplished professionals, including Bank
of America executives and other leaders from the private and public
sectors, as mentors for emerging women leaders in developing countries.

The forum, taking place October 15 to 21, brings six Global Ambassadors
(mentors), six mentees and more than 50 international and Indian women
leaders together to advance the dialogue on the value of women’s
leadership and explore both the barriers and opportunities faced by
women in a variety of private sector industries in India. Centered on
the theme of “Women’s Advancement in India’s Growing Economy,” women
entrepreneurs, advocates, and influencers will participate in
interactive sessions to address topics such as business and economic
challenges that inhibit the potential of women-owned businesses in
India, corporate social responsibility and the role of women, and the
relationship between mentoring, leadership development and career growth.

Representing a wide range of industry and expertise, the six mentors
participating in the program include:

Geraldine B. Laybourne, founder and former chairman and CEO of Oxygen
Media.

Candace Browning, head of global research at Bank of America Merrill
Lynch.

Julie Fasone Holder, founder and principle at JFH Insights.

Donna Orender, CEO of Orender Unlimited.

Janie Wanless, managing director and head of corporate banking,
country manager at Bank of America.

The events in India build on mentoring forums that were held earlier
this year in South Africa and Haiti, during which Global Ambassadors
worked with mentees and a growing network of women leaders from around
the world to develop platforms on the role of women in driving progress
in each respective country and on a global scale.

“Women can be powerful drivers of economic development, improving lives
for individuals, families and communities,” said Candace Browning, head
of global research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and a Global
Ambassador in India. “There is a strong correlation between gender
equality and a country’s GDP per capita as well as its level of
competitiveness. Ultimately, empowering women results in a more
efficient use of a country’s human capital.”

In order to extend the value of one-to-one mentoring fostered by the
program, mentees will have a unique opportunity to share their
perspective with additional women through participation in the fifth
annual Mentoring Walk on October 20. The event is shaped around the
powerful connections that can be established as women leaders and
mentees walk together and discuss their professional challenges and
successes.

The Global Ambassadors Program is part of Bank of America’s and Vital
Voices’ ongoing commitment to investing in leadership development, a
goal guided by the belief that strong leaders are vital to healthy,
vibrant communities and help advance economic growth. Over time, mentors
and their mentees build critical communications, advocacy and business
skills and develop strategies for emerging leaders to advance their
work. Since the Haiti and South Africa programs earlier this year,
mentees have continued to advance on a path of leadership through
government appointments, participation in high-level policy meetings,
and developing project proposals to strengthen the voice of women in
obtaining economic and social development.

“In today’s ever-changing world, in which new opportunities and
challenges present themselves on a daily basis, the need for mentorship
of emerging women leaders has never been so critical,” said Alyse
Nelson, president and CEO of Vital Voices. “Through the Global
Ambassadors Program, we are striving to address economic disparities and
create a more prosperous, secure world by enhancing women’s leadership
through mentorship and providing women with decision-making influence in
their respective countries. As India accelerates its relative economic
power, these mentoring forums will help to prepare women to play a
central role in driving progress and social change across sectors.”

Building on the success of forums held this year in Haiti and South
Africa, several 2013 Global Ambassadors Program mentoring forums are
planned in additional locations.

Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions,
serving individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses and
large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset
management and other financial and risk management products and
services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United
States, serving approximately 56 million consumer and small business
relationships with approximately 5,600 retail banking offices and
approximately 16,200 ATMs and award-winning online banking with 30
million active users. Bank of America is among the world's leading
wealth management companies and is a global leader in corporate and
investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes,
serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around
the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to
approximately 4 million small business owners through a suite of
innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves
clients through operations in more than 40 countries. Bank of America
Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial
Average and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Vital Voices Global Partnershipis a leading non-governmental
organization that identifies, invests in and brings visibility to
extraordinary women around the world by unleashing their leadership
potential to transform lives and accelerate peace and prosperity in
their communities. Founded by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in
1997, the organization trains and mentors women leaders as agents of
transformative change in economic development, human rights and
political participation. The Vital Voices Global Leadership Network
includes more than 12,000 leaders representing 144 countries who have
trained and mentored 500,000 additional women and girls in their
communities. Visit www.vitalvoices.org
to learn more.